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The T-610 Super Pinto started off as a 1968 conversion of the Navy's Temco TT-1 Pinto two-seat jet trainer with the General Electric CJ610 engine (similar to the military J85) in place of the original Continental J69 (Turbomeca Marbore) and a 2-meter increase in fuselage length. The aircraft flew very well and now was three times more powerful with only 20 pounds more weight than the original design. AJI had offered the Super Pinto as a light-strike/counter-insurgency (COIN) aircraft in the early 1970s, powered by a CJ610-4 turbojet engine and equipped with six underwing hardpoints for external stores, but had failed to gain any contract with either the USAF or Turkey.
Consequently, the company decided to sell the whole project and struck a deal with Philippine government whereby AJI relinquished all rights on the Super Pinto design. In a $1.25 million deal, the Philippine Air Force's Self-Reliance Development Wing bought the rights for the work drawings, patents, design, flight test data and process sheets for manufacture of the aircraft in 1976, as well as one US-built prototype, which became the first Philippine T-610 (now known as the Calí or "eagle"), and an additional fuselage. The deal included the exclusive rights to market military and commercial versions throughout the world.
The second T-610 was produced locally, and both aircraft were flight-tested satifactorily in Manila, creating high expectations to build a national aircraft industry in the Philippines. They carried the numbers 44233 and 44234, which strangely echoed U.S. Navy Pinto serials 144233 and 144234. The two aircraft differed mainly in that "233" had the one piece canopy of the original Pinto, while "234" had a two-piece canopy. It would be logical to conclude that "44233" was originally the Navy's 144233, but there is no evidence of this. Besides, both Navy Pinto are still extant on the American civil register and pretty much active.
Bad luck seemed to pursue the Super Pinto. The Calí program started to encounter economic problems, and after the Marcos administration collapsed the project was shelved. Resurrection of the Calí program was considered on various occasions. In the mid-1980s, four separate versions were targeted for possible production: a single-seat light strike aircraft that could carry up to 1,600 kg of stores for COIN operations; a tandem-seat primary jet trainer; a quick change version of the trainer that could be rapidly converted as a strike aircraft; and an executive version with a wider pressurized cabin seating five passengers. At that time, the Philippine Air Force foresaw the Calí as a possible replacement for no less than its T-34, SF-260, T-28D, T-33 and even F-86F, with a planned operational life of about 15 years. Commonality of the CJ610-4 engine with the country's F-5 fighter force was especially viewed as a key element.
At the 1988 Farnborough Air Show it was announced that American company Avstar Inc., in collaboration with Shenyang Aircraft Corporation of the People's Republic of China, Pacific Marketing Consultants Inc. of San Francisco and Plymouth Ltd of Hong Kong, planned to revive the Super Pinto. Under the terms of "an agreement in principle" between the four parties the AvStar T-100 Super Mustang was tobe built at Shenyang under licence from Plymouth, with final assembly and avionics installation taking place in the USA, and marketed by the two US companies. A prototype, powered by a General Electric J85 turbojet, was undergoing flight test in the USA in 1988; production T-100s were expected to be powered by either that engine or a Williams International FJ44. The T-100 scheme came in direct contradiction with the Philippines having the exclusive rights to market the Super Pinto internationally, so it is possible that the exclusiveness clause might have been invalidated by Manila's not having produced any new aircraft over the past decade. Whatever the reason, nothing came of the Super Mustang project either.
As recently as 2009 a government official stated that the Super Pinto could still be produced, if only to take advantage of the licensing rights that had been purchased. If produced today, however, the Calí would incorporate locally-produced composite materials on some major components. An appeal to the private sector was made to take part in the development and manufacture of "the first Philippine jet" on a cost-sharing and profit-sharing scheme. However, the current state of that program is unknown.
One Calí is currently exhibited at the Phillipine Air Force Museum on the Villamor Air Base. Oddly enough, it carries the registration "44233" and call sign "233" of the first example but has the two-piece canopy of the second one. Very likely it is the second aircraft repainted as the first one, which leaves one to wonder whatever happened to the first prototype.
Dimensions and weight
Length, overall: 9.58 m (31'5")
Height, overall: 3.48 m (11'5")
Wings, gross: 13.93 m² (150 ft²)
Weight, empty: 1,466 kg (3,225.20 lb)
Performance
Max cruising speed: 375 knots
Stalling speed: 63 knots
Approach air speed: 82 knots
Max rate of climb at sea level: 2,743 m/min (8,997 ft/min)
Service ceiling: 14.63 km
Take off run at sea level: 152.43 m (500')
Landing run at sea level: 243.90 m (800')
Endurance: 5.5 hours
Others
Powerplant: 12.7 kN (2,850 lb static) General Electric CJ610-4 non-afterburning turbojet engine
Sustained load factor: 1.5 G ??
Weapon systems: Provision for 6 underwing hardpoints.
Article compiled and written by Stéphane Beaumort using various sources from the web.
Consequently, the company decided to sell the whole project and struck a deal with Philippine government whereby AJI relinquished all rights on the Super Pinto design. In a $1.25 million deal, the Philippine Air Force's Self-Reliance Development Wing bought the rights for the work drawings, patents, design, flight test data and process sheets for manufacture of the aircraft in 1976, as well as one US-built prototype, which became the first Philippine T-610 (now known as the Calí or "eagle"), and an additional fuselage. The deal included the exclusive rights to market military and commercial versions throughout the world.
The second T-610 was produced locally, and both aircraft were flight-tested satifactorily in Manila, creating high expectations to build a national aircraft industry in the Philippines. They carried the numbers 44233 and 44234, which strangely echoed U.S. Navy Pinto serials 144233 and 144234. The two aircraft differed mainly in that "233" had the one piece canopy of the original Pinto, while "234" had a two-piece canopy. It would be logical to conclude that "44233" was originally the Navy's 144233, but there is no evidence of this. Besides, both Navy Pinto are still extant on the American civil register and pretty much active.
Bad luck seemed to pursue the Super Pinto. The Calí program started to encounter economic problems, and after the Marcos administration collapsed the project was shelved. Resurrection of the Calí program was considered on various occasions. In the mid-1980s, four separate versions were targeted for possible production: a single-seat light strike aircraft that could carry up to 1,600 kg of stores for COIN operations; a tandem-seat primary jet trainer; a quick change version of the trainer that could be rapidly converted as a strike aircraft; and an executive version with a wider pressurized cabin seating five passengers. At that time, the Philippine Air Force foresaw the Calí as a possible replacement for no less than its T-34, SF-260, T-28D, T-33 and even F-86F, with a planned operational life of about 15 years. Commonality of the CJ610-4 engine with the country's F-5 fighter force was especially viewed as a key element.
At the 1988 Farnborough Air Show it was announced that American company Avstar Inc., in collaboration with Shenyang Aircraft Corporation of the People's Republic of China, Pacific Marketing Consultants Inc. of San Francisco and Plymouth Ltd of Hong Kong, planned to revive the Super Pinto. Under the terms of "an agreement in principle" between the four parties the AvStar T-100 Super Mustang was tobe built at Shenyang under licence from Plymouth, with final assembly and avionics installation taking place in the USA, and marketed by the two US companies. A prototype, powered by a General Electric J85 turbojet, was undergoing flight test in the USA in 1988; production T-100s were expected to be powered by either that engine or a Williams International FJ44. The T-100 scheme came in direct contradiction with the Philippines having the exclusive rights to market the Super Pinto internationally, so it is possible that the exclusiveness clause might have been invalidated by Manila's not having produced any new aircraft over the past decade. Whatever the reason, nothing came of the Super Mustang project either.
As recently as 2009 a government official stated that the Super Pinto could still be produced, if only to take advantage of the licensing rights that had been purchased. If produced today, however, the Calí would incorporate locally-produced composite materials on some major components. An appeal to the private sector was made to take part in the development and manufacture of "the first Philippine jet" on a cost-sharing and profit-sharing scheme. However, the current state of that program is unknown.
One Calí is currently exhibited at the Phillipine Air Force Museum on the Villamor Air Base. Oddly enough, it carries the registration "44233" and call sign "233" of the first example but has the two-piece canopy of the second one. Very likely it is the second aircraft repainted as the first one, which leaves one to wonder whatever happened to the first prototype.
Dimensions and weight
Length, overall: 9.58 m (31'5")
Height, overall: 3.48 m (11'5")
Wings, gross: 13.93 m² (150 ft²)
Weight, empty: 1,466 kg (3,225.20 lb)
Performance
Max cruising speed: 375 knots
Stalling speed: 63 knots
Approach air speed: 82 knots
Max rate of climb at sea level: 2,743 m/min (8,997 ft/min)
Service ceiling: 14.63 km
Take off run at sea level: 152.43 m (500')
Landing run at sea level: 243.90 m (800')
Endurance: 5.5 hours
Others
Powerplant: 12.7 kN (2,850 lb static) General Electric CJ610-4 non-afterburning turbojet engine
Sustained load factor: 1.5 G ??
Weapon systems: Provision for 6 underwing hardpoints.
Article compiled and written by Stéphane Beaumort using various sources from the web.
